[A/N] Hello welcome to the second chapter of Cold Spark. I realized the original was kinda dumb... so i changed it. Anyway please leave a comment i do appreciate it. Thanks!
Chapter 2: So many questions
It's been a few months since Elsa's Coronation to Queen of Arindelle. It's winter now and in that time she has managed to get her home back on track after plunging it into Eternal Winter. Finally she manged to dig herself out of that pile of work in her study to get out of the palace, for a while at least. She took the oportunity to go for a sleigh ride with her sister Anna and Anna's beloved Kristoff. What she never could have anticipated was an arrow from seemingly nowhere slamming into Kristoff's arm followed by Anna's earsplitting scream. Now they were surrounded by bandits. Though she hated the thought of using her powers to hurt people as she did to Anna, she was more than willing to defend them but a voice above her halted everyone present.
"This is your one chance to walk away! Lay down your weapons and go home or suffer the consequences!" Craning her neck she spotted a lone man in red and blue armor with sword drawn. His face covered by a helmet she had never seen before. With a twist of his blade he deflected the arrow shot from the archer then launched himself into the fray. It was over before Elsa could even react. But, unfortunately, for all his obvious skill he was still hit by the archer yet barely flinched on impact. He took down the last bandit by destroying his weapon and knocking him out. When he turned to them her eyes immediately locked to his. Just like hers they were blue but brighter, yet radiated an aura of calm and peacefulness.
"Is everyone unharmed?" She simply nodded still overwhelmed by what had just transpired. "Good... If I may-ARGGHHH!" Clutching his side he fell and Elsa finally snapped to reality and was at his side in an instant. Even with his helmet she could see he was in serious pain. Trying her best not to aggravate his wound she pulled aside the armor and shirt to see his angry red skin with dark lines spreading outwards. Her eyes widened in fear. POISON!
" Anna! I think the arrows they used were poisoned. We need to get him and Kristoff a doctor now!" Nodding frantically Anna went about bandaging Kristoff's wound. Elsa used her ice to stop the bleeding and hopefully slow the poison in the strangers side. The moment she did so he went completely limp. The only movement was the slow rise and fall of his chest. Knowing he was too heavy to lift even with Anna's help she created a snow golem to lift him into the sleigh . After nearly an hour they arrived at the Palace in the late hours of the afternoon and got them both situated in different rooms. Anna stayed with Kristoff while Elsa spoke to her Captain of the Guard. She explained what had transpired and sent men to round up the unconscious thugs that attacked them. They were left under the guard of the snow golem and would be easy to capture and question.
By this time the doctor returned informing her that the arrow that hit Kristoff had no poison and he would fully recover in time. "The other young man I tended to is a different story... the poison used was a weak, non lethal mixture meant to incapacitate the target. He too will heal with time but... something else caught my attention that you must see for yourself." He said adjusting his glasses on his nose. He led the queen to a spare room where he rested in bed under the warm covers. A crackling fire opposite the bed lit the room in a warm glow. His armor and sword rested nearby, the blood stained shirt she had sent to be cleaned was there as well. Getting a good look at his face she saw he was easily close to her age, perhaps older. He was also rather handsome despite his badly scarred left cheek.
"My queen. This is what I wanted you to see." The doctor said as he gently pulled the covers aside. Elsa gasped in horror at what was laid before her eyes. Slashes, stab wounds and burn scars covered his exposed upper body. The two worst ones of which were directly over his sternum and around his right shoulder. Following the queens eyes the doctor explained. "The one on his chest is the same on his back meaning he was run through with a weapon I've never seen before. The other goes all the way around his shoulder as if it were cut off yet somehow reattached. I've only ever seen the dead bear wounds such as these. The only other group that comes anywhere close are veteran soldiers returning from war. They would have to be easily twice this man's age yet he out does them all with so many. Somehow he still lives... I can't explain how."
'Who is this man? How has he endured these horrific wounds in such great number... Well so much for a good nights rest, now i'll be up all night thinking about this...' The queen thought to herself."How long until he wakes?" She asked as they exited into the hall closing the door behind him.
"A few hours at least, maybe a day... " he was interrupted by a very audible thump from the other side of the door. "Or maybe not." Entering the room again she found the bed empty and what sounded like cursing in a language she did not understand.
Location: Unknown
Optimus Prime was floating in an infinite void of white. Standing in full armor he wandered, not really going anywhere until a voice boomed from everywhere at once.
"And so you arrive at the next step of your journey... The question is what will you become? Will you be rid of your past? Toss it away along with your strength, your resolve as well as your guilt for what you've done, and be born anew? Or will you hold that strength close and bear your burden as you have since you took your title Prime?" The voice said.
"What do you mean? Who are you?" Optimus was so confused. 'Born anew? What does that mean?'
"I have given but a taste of what it could mean to start over. Now it is time for a final decision. You can start over, a weak human wiped clean of guilt and the sufferings of war but at the loss of your strength. Or you can once again shoulder your guilt and dark thoughts and keep your strength. Be warned... you may be as strong as a Cybertronian but if you choose this road you will never be fully human. You will be a "wolf in sheep's clothing" as it were."
Optimus thought long and hard about this. In the end it was a truly difficult decision. But he made his choice. "I will bear the guilt as I was meant to from the start. As leader of the Autobots it was and still remains MY duty. If carrying that burden means I will be able to defend others, I shall bear it."
"I expected no less from you, young Prime. Always putting others above yourself... It stands as evidence of how you earned your title. Even when offered an easy way out..." The voice said, brimming with what sounded like true adoration. "Now you must return for only you hold the power to save them from the coming darkness. Do not worry about your name, it will be odd but with no Decepticons it won't matter. Good luck and farewell." Then the world of vast white faded and Optimus woke to the first step of his new journey.
Location: Arindelle Castle
When Optimus awoke he felt something rather odd. He was laying on something soft... which for a cybertronian is weird. He tried laying on sand once but it just got up in his wires and joints, which was extremely irritating. Opening his eyes the memories flooded back; the space bridge, the forest the fight, the woman and the strange dream. Looking around the room he found himself in a bed. He shifted the soft cover to see himself shirtless with a bandage over his abdominal and his chest littered with the scars of so many previous battles; both on Cybertron and Earth. He also spotted what appeared to be a tattoo on the inside of his right forearm, the Autobot emblem in bright red. Spying his shirt nearby he moved to get up but he accidentily rolled to far and fell out of the bed. Thankfully he fell on his right side but it didn't stop a few Cybertronian curses from escaping his lips. He failed to hear the door open but felt slender hands around his arm as someone help him to his feet. Grabbing his shirt in the process he threw it over his head rather clumsily as this was the fist time doing so.
"Are you alright?" The woman asked softly, trying to suppress a laugh at his attempts to cover himself. After a moment he managed to steady himself on his feet. Easily a head taller than her he looked down to meet her concerned, Sapphire blue gaze with a soft smile on his face; taking in her appearance of long blonde hair over her shoulder and flowing blue dress. He was blissfully unaware of how captivated she was by his eyes alone.
"I am fine. I thank you for your assistance with my wound. My name Optimus Prime. Might I ask your name and where we are?" Elsa was caught off guard, both by his near-glowing blue eyes that seemed much brighter than before as well as by his polite manner of speech. With his armor she had figured him to be a wanderer or a mercenary yet he speaks with the regality of a General. She also expected him to act like an angry berzerking barbarian based on his wounds.
"Of course. Our introductions were cut short back in the forest. I am Elsa Queen of Arendelle and it is a pleasure to meet you... Op-ti-mus?" She returned the greeting unsure as she said his strange name. He bowed his head slightly with a polite smile to reassure her. "Your name is truly unique. I've never heard of anything quite like it."
"Thank you for the compliment. As you could tell I am not from here."He chuckled a bit. 'Interesting...I've never heard of this Arendelle but it sounds similar to Arandal a city in Norway Something to look into later.' A small frown overtook him as his confusion deepened for a moment before he pushed those thoughts aside. Elsa was ready to ask what was wrong when a wave of pain shot from his injured side forced him to wince slightly. He had hoped she wouldn't notice but alas she did. Taking him by the arm she guided him back to the bed and sat him down. Thankfully she received no protest from him. "Thank you Queen Elsa."
"Please call me Elsa. You are a hero to my sister and I. Speaking of which I should check on her. After what happened she's more than likely still fussing over Kristoff. Oh! Dinner will be ready in an hour or so. Kai will guide to the dining room. I will see you later." Elsa said as she made for the door.
"Thank you again... Elsa." She smiled and seemed to turn a little red from what Optimus could see. He shrugged it off when something she said worried him a little. 'Oh scrap! I've never had to worry about eating human food before... Well hopefully it tastes better than Energon rations.'
